Fairtax4me

Are your hills covered in ice? Had a guy come sliding down a hill backwards toward me yesterday. Good thing the snow was packed up like a ramp at the curb because the sidewalk was my only option!

All of the window switches ground through the main switch. If the other switches work, the main switch is probably the issue.

Probably the hazard switch. Try working the hazard switch about 100 times and see if the problem clears up for a little while. New ones are usually inexpensive from the dealer.

If you can see it from above its probably the front sensor. Rear sensor is in the back of the rear cat way back near the end of the trans.

Sounds like some ghetto spoob to cover up a bad PCV valve or clogged breather tubes. The oil cap has nothing to do with oil pressure, but drilling a hole in it will affect crankcase pressure, and will have a direct affect on airflow through the block, which will affect the PCV system. If the PCV system doesn't work properly you'll possibly have issues with oil consumption. Either way. Check the breather hoses from the valve covers to the intake tube, make sure they're clear. And make sure the PCV valve is clean and the hoses from it to the block are clean. Then put the new oil cap on.

Obd1 will not blink the CEL if there is a problem. Actually unless there is a direct issue with a sensor (like the ECU is getting no signal at all from it) often there will not be a code at all. I would suspect the signal from the cam sensor isn't reaching the ECU. Cam sensor should be making AC voltage, did you check AC or DC volts?

They're pressed in on this year. You can remove the knuckle yourself and take it to a shop and have them press the bearings out and back in for cheaper than doing the whole job, but removing the knuckle is sometimes easier said than done. You won't be able to spin the wheel and tell if the bearing is any good unless the bearing is totally shot. Too much drag from the axles, rear diff and driveshaft. The only good way to test it without special equipment is to pull it apart and pop the axle out of the hub so you can spin the hub freely by hand. Even then, you may not always be able to tell. The best way I've found requires a chassis ear kit, which is a device used to listen to various parts of the suspension while the car is being driven. Bearing noise is easily picked up by a transmitter attached to the knuckle. Chassis ear kits are generally expensive though. It's one of the tools on my "wish list".

Ive had the pleasure [/sarcasm] of working on a few Vws lately. One a 99 Beetle, the other a 03 Jetta. Both of these have the same front strut design which is kind of different from any I've seen before. The top strut mount is a round rubber cap sort of deal. It sits in the strut tower and is "held in place" with a cup type thing bolted on top to the strut shaft. Both of these cars seem to have had severely worn out upper mounts. With the car on the lift I could move each front wheel almost an inch up before the upper mount seated into the strut tower. That doesn't seem "normal" to me but this is a mount design I've never seen before. Are these mounts supposed to just "float" in the tower? It seems to me like the wheel would start hopping off the road if you drive over a really rough surface. I've searched google, and searched Alldata looking for TSBs, and really haven't found anything about this. But maybe VW people call the mounts something different? I dunno.

That's one of the better designs ive seen for a CAI, it actually has the filter in the fender well rather than stuck out under the hood. Regardless, unless you just want more noise and some bling under the hood... Kinda pointless. Won't make a damn bit of difference in Mpg.

Make sure there is no moisture down in the plug wells. Had this happen occasionally on my 96 if it sat in wet weather. Causes a fit of misfiring until it gets good and warmed up, the moisture then evaporates out and the misfire goes away. Pull the wires or coils (if it has COPs), check for moisture and make sure they're nice and dry. Wipe some silicone grease around the top where the boot seals to the head to keep more moisture from getting in and make sure the wires click down all the way on the plugs.

Intake 0.20mm +/- 0.04mm Exhaust 0.35mm +/- 0.05mm

Yeah the vent/floor/defog flaps are controlled electrically. If the buttons are stuck it doesn't really know what to do.

Bottom hose is the evap and is much smaller. Can't mix that one up.

Yeah it's all the same stuff. The bulbs in the control head burn out al the time so plug that in and check to make sure it works and it all lights up before you get it totally installed.

You almost have to put a scanner on it and see what the computer is seeing and doing. If plugs look OK and fuel pressure is good, the answer is probably going to be a sensor dealing with fuel that's out of range. MAF/MAP or O2 sensor. TPS maybe?

Are the fuel lines backwards? Top pipe on the manifold is feed, middle is return.

Should be Z1: 44 Z2: 40.5 The spec you found on google looks like its for 05 and later 2.5 with the AVCS heads. Those are wider.

Most anything will work for cleaning threads just so you can get a new bolt or part to thread in. You're not cutting new threads in a freshly drilled hole, you're just getting the rough edges and crud/shavings out of the current threads. If the sensor were plastic, then it may not work too well to clean threads in an aluminum case. Speed sensors don't fail all that often, why is this one being replaced a second time?

Cut notches in the threads of the old sensor and use that as a tap.

Easy 2" of lift from 96-99 Outback struts (wagon or sedan) and 205/70/15 tires. A cheap set of 1" strut top spacers can be stuck on top of the Outback struts with no other mods. More expensive options that may require other modifications: King springs will get you another inch or a bit more. Kings are available through primitive racing. They're about $450 for a full set. There are a few places that sell full lift block kits ranging from 2-6 inches. $500-$900 last I checked. These require a longer steering shaft u-joint, and the bigger kits will require modification to other parts like the shifter linkage (for MT) and radiator/ other engine/trans hoses, and brake lines and such. Pics of my 96 here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/128834-my-96-legacy-l-lifted/ I'm on Outback struts and tires, and a 2" block kit.

What year and engine are you working on?

I really like the Snap-on battery impacts, but they're just so damn expensive! I've used quite a few 1/4 drive cordless impact guns and I really don't notice much difference in power between most of them. I figure if you're using 1/4 tools you don't need gobs of torque to get most things loose.

Too much work to swap engines between those. The short block can be swapped, and you use the heads and manifolds from the Impreza on the legacy block. But that setup is going to require premium gas because it will raise the compression, and will need special head gaskets. Manual trans swap... More of a pain than it'll be worth. Plus the 3.90 FDR in the Impreza trans will not be suited to the heavier legacy, especially if you plan to put bigger tires on it. You'll still need clutch pedal and brackets from a MT Legacy 00-04 because the Impreza stuff is probably different. Same with center console trim. You're better off to find a MT Outback from 00-04 to use as a donor. Trans and rear diff will have the 4.11 FDR, pedal rackets will be right, all the trim will be there. Plenty more reasons, but basically it will be much simpler for you to do the swap when you have all the right parts there. Yes, you can swap in Outback struts and get about 1-1.5" lift. Need to stick with 00-04 for proper fitment. Swap wheels and tires to outback size for another 1".

Probably the fan motor. Next time it does it leave the switch on and reach up under the far right corner of the glove box and whack the fan motor with a screwdriver handle or something. If that makes it work, replace the fan motor.

I think the real question is: How bad do you wanna do another head gasket job on one of these? Crud in the expansion tank could just be rubber and nastiness fom old coolant, but poor cooling system maintenance usually leads to failed head gaskets. One thing I've always looked for is pressurization of the cooling system after only 30 seconds to a minute of running. Normally, No heat = No pressure. If the cooling system is cold (no heat), and there is pressure in the hoses, thats gonna be a head gasket.